Alchemist symbols, characters used to denote elements and compounds until the 18th century, was the main source of inspiration for designers Melanie Kamsler and Tamila Purvis’s latest collection for Mania Mania. Crystals and minerals, like Smokey Quartz, Labradorite, Rose Quartz, Herkimer diamonds, are thoughtfully balanced together and incorporated with brass and silver alchemy motifs and delicate 18k gold vermeil chains. Stunning.
I’ll never forget my first pair of Tevas. It was the day before a week long river rafting trip down the legendary Salmon River – my first ever legitimate outdoor excursion – and I had knots in my stomach. Besides feeling the need to impress my husband (new boyfriend at the time) and not being sure of what I was getting myself into (I’m a city girl!), I quickly realized I came to Idaho completely unprepared without the proper gear. I needed a pair of river-appropriate sandals. Thankfully, Tevas were in abundance and in addition to sunscreen, those sandals were the only real essential needed. Our river adventure turned out to be one of the most memorable trips of my life so far and every time I spot a pair of Tevas, I’m reminded of it. Nearly a decade later, Teva came knocking at my door . . .
When I first learned that Teva was teaming up with Swarovski for a DIY collaboration, I thought that there couldn’t be a more divergent pairing of brands. But of course, that immediately piqued my interest and I couldn’t resist getting involved. Especially since I’m such a huge fan of both Teva and Swarovski. So for the past several months, we’ve worked together on creating a DIY kit inspired by my love of the great outdoors and my even greater love of fashion. I created a simple tribal pattern, using Swarovski’s easy to apply hot fix metallic transfers, that could easily be be taken apart, turned into various other shapes and thus, translated into numerous designs. It’s meant to be fun – and to allow your creativity to take you anywhere!! That’s what DIY is all about, isn’t it? Below is a design I came up with but really, anything is possible . . . hope you guys love it and are inspired to try it for yourself!
The kit includes:
- a pair of Teva Original Universal or Flatform Universal
- Swarovski hot fix metallic and crystal transfers
- 8 Swarovski single stone crystals
- Crystal Katana (crystal applicator)
- E6000 glue
- embroidery floss
You’ll need:
- a flat iron
- scissors
- a toothpick
- an embroidery needle (optional)
Upon first glance, I nearly mistook Heike Brachlow‘s glass sculptures as finely carved gems and minerals. How insanely beautiful are these colorful tones of these pieces? Brachlow draws her inspiration from travel, human interaction, architecture and geometry. Honestly, love these . . .
It’s amazing how heavy brushstrokes can bring so much realism and life into a painting with such simple composition. I’m absolutely smitten with these works from Colombian artist Pedro Covo. They take me back to summer – I just feel the warmth of the sun against my back and the cool, refreshing feeling of that first dive into water.
